Player Profile

"Max" as he was christened by players and supporters alike after the famous comedian Max Wall arrived at Liverpool from Wrexham in October 1966 as a 21-year-old with the reputation of being a reliable full-back. Shankly paid £35,000 for Wall and his fellow Wrexham full-back, Stuart Mason, who lasted two years at Anfield without making a first-team appearance. Liverpool had previously missed out on Huddersfield’s Bob McNab who moved to Arsenal and played 365 games for the Gunners, but Wrexham couldn't refuse Liverpool's offer for the promising pair who manager Jack Rowley valued: “It grieves me to lose these players. I might get back to Wales and find my windows have been smashed. But the fans must realise that this deal has been done to benefit the club and the players." Wall's arrival coincided with the most settled side Liverpool has ever seen and it was impossible for him to break the monopoly that Chris Lawler and Gerry Byrne had in the two full-back positions. It wasn't until February 1968 that Shankly gave Wall his debut in a home fixture with Leicester. Byrne's playing days were almost at an end and Wall fitted comfortably enough into the Liverpool system of the time, making a further eight appearances towards the end of the 1967/68 season and being first-choice left-back for the first 13 League matches the following season as well. But then the more experienced and more versatile Geoff Strong took over the No. 3 shirt and Wall found himself out in the cold again.

Wall did play nine consecutive League games in the middle of the 1969/70 season but that period also included the dreadful FA Cup defeat at second division Watford, after which Shankly realised that it was time to make changes and build for the future. Wall was given one final opportunity in the new-look team who ran out at Anfield against Derby a week after the cup debacle but another defeat resulted and in the summer he was transferred to Crystal Palace. Wall served Palace well for eight years making over 190 appearances as the Eagles dropped from the First Division to the Third. Wall faced his old team, Liverpool, at Selhurst Park on 19 August 1972, but unfortunately broke his leg following a tackle by Tommy Smith. Following a successful loan spell with St. Louis Stars in the North American Soccer League, Wall joined NASL's California Surf in 1978 and finished his career in the States. He returned to England, settling in Shropshire and died on 30 October 2024 aged 80.